Ambassador of Mexico, IDRA Celebrate Donation of Over 100 Laptops to San Antonio Students
Arca Continental Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages Donates Laptops via IDRA Partnership with Consulate General of Mexico in San Antonio 
(left to right) Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, Ambassador of Mexico to the United States; Jean Claude Tissot, President of ARCA Continental Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages; Celina Moreno, J.D., IDRA President & CEO; Rubén Minutti Zanatta, Consul General of Mexico in San Antonio
(August 18, 2021 • San Antonio) As students prepare for the new school year, IDRA will deliver computers to students in areas hard-hit by the digital divide. Arca Continental Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages donated over 100 laptops this week at the Consulate General of Mexico in San Antonio in a ceremony with Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, Ambassador of Mexico to the United States.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us so many economic disparities, including access to technology, affecting our most vulnerable students,” Ambassador Moctezuma Barragán said.

IDRA research, conducted in collaboration with families, found that many families have no reliable computer or, if they do, multiple people share a single computer. Some students could only do classwork on their cell phones. IDRA’s research also found that, in many parts of Texas, student disengagement during the pandemic was a direct result of limited broadband access.

“Arca Continental is making an immediate impact to help students stay connected with their teachers and classmates during this difficult time so that they can focus on learning,” IDRA President & CEO Celina Moreno said. “We must remain vigilant and work as a village to address inequity because, even as we look forward to schools reopening, we remain in uncharted territory.”

Students in IDRA’s Valued Youth Partnership in South San Antonio ISD will be among the students to receive the donated laptops. During the pandemic, they used laptops previously donated by Arca Continental to make tutoring videos for younger students with IDRA's popular Semillitas de Aprendizaje bilingual storybooks. The donations were through IDRA’s Partnership with the Consulate General of Mexico in San Antonio to operate the Ventanillas de Orientación Educativa (VOE).

“Alliances like this demonstrate a genuine commitment of the private and the nonprofit sectors to fight against social disparities together,” Jean Claude Tissot, President of Arca Continental Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, said.

When schools had to close and shift to distance learning, IDRA partnered with school districts to help students get access to computers and Internet connectivity, with community-based organizations to help Spanish-speaking families navigate virtual classrooms, and with lawmakers ensure Texas’ major broadband bill included provisions to help all students, regardless of zip code, access the Internet.

During the pandemic, the Consulate and IDRA launched VOE Virtual, an online portal with bilingual materials and videos for families with information on the civil rights of immigrant and emergent bilingual students, local educational services, and resources on how to access and succeed in college. As schools reopen, VOE will continue to connect with San Antonio school districts to provide these resources to families they serve throughout the school year.
IDRA media contact: Christie L. Goodman, APR, IDRA Director of Communications, christie.goodman@idra.org, 210-444-1710
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San Antonio, Texas 78228
Phone: 210-444-1710
The Intercultural Development Research Association is an independent, non-profit organization. Our mission is to achieve equal educational opportunity for every child through strong public schools that prepare all students to access and succeed in college. IDRA strengthens and transforms public education by providing dynamic training; useful research, evaluation, and frameworks for action; timely policy analyses; and innovative materials and programs.
 
IDRA works hand-in-hand with hundreds of thousands of educators and families each year in communities and classrooms around the country. All our work rests on an unwavering commitment to creating self-renewing schools that value and promote the success of students of all backgrounds.